Should we have leadership of both genders at mixed/ single gender groups?

It would be preferable – children and young people may relate better to one gender than another. For activities such as swimming, it would be particularly helpful.

Should we have husband and wife, or family members paired as leaders of groups? 

Whilst not illegal, we would not recommend a husband/wife or family members paired as leaders of groups. This is due to the potential for lack of independence and objectivity, should any concerns arise in the group.

Our advice would therefore be to have non-related individuals leading groups to allow for young people and leaders to feel able to raise concerns if they have any, without any fear or anxiety. This also protects the leaders from any unwarranted allegations too.  

However, if you cannot find a third person to help in the group, there are actions you can take to reduce the risk if you have no other options:

1. Actively seek a third person.
2. Ask another approved worker to drop-in on the group on a regular basis.
3. Ensure the young people know who the safeguarding lead is and that they can talk to them if they have any worries or concerns.
4. Check in with the young people on a regular basis to see if they are okay and enjoying the group.
5. Ask the parents to let you know if they have any questions or concerns and ensure they know who the safeguarding lead is.
6. Offer individual one to one's with the couple. This could be a mentor or pastoral leader.
7. Encourage the couple to be accountable and ensure safeguarding training is up to date.
8. Ratio of adults to children should be considered as the couple will be counted as one leader.
   

Are there any legal requirements regarding Adult – Child ratios? 

To supervise activities safely, it is necessary to have sufficient adult leaders and helpers. There are legal requirements for certain activities involving children aged 8 and under. Even if there isn’t a legal requirement the ratios are nevertheless ‘good sense’ in terms of managing any group of children in this age group.

• 0-2 years - 1 adult to 3 children
• 2-3 years - 1 adult to 4 children
• 4-8 years - 1 adult to 6 children
• 9-12 years old - 1 adult to 8 children
• 13-18 years old – 1 adult to 10 children 

At Thirtyone:eight we would recommend that you have a minimum of 2 Adult helpers safely recruited and have DBS (England and Wales), PVG (Scotland) and AccessNI checks for each group. If a leader needs to attend to a child or young person who needs the toilet, or is ill or injured, then there is another adult to remain with the other children. It also offers support to the worker in case an accusation is made.

There are no legal requirements for older groups, but the Thirtyone:eight Knowledge Hub provides guidance in this area based on numbers and the type of activity being undertaken.

Recommended adult to child ratios for working with children | NSPCC Learning

What steps can be taken to protect workers against unsubstantiated allegations?  

Allegations of abuse against workers are comparatively rare but must be treated seriously and responded to immediately – if you are a member, you may wish to call our helpline for urgent advice (03 03 003 11 11 option 2).

Employers, school governors, trustees and voluntary organisations should ensure that they have clear policies in place setting out the process, including timescales for investigation and what support and advice will be available to individuals against whom allegations have been made.

Any allegation against people who work with children should be reported immediately to a senior manager within the organisation or agency.

The designated officer, or team of officers, should also be informed within one working day of all allegations that come to an employer’s attention or that are made directly to the police.

If the person is subject to registration or regulation by a professional body or regulator, for example by the Care Quality Commission or Ofsted, the designated officer should advise on whether a referral to that body is appropriate.

If an organisation or agency removes an individual (paid worker or unpaid volunteer) from work in regulated activity with children (or would have, had the person not left first) because the person poses a risk of harm to children, the organisation or agency should make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service to consider whether to add the individual to the barred list.

In some circumstances, organisations and agencies will be under a legal duty to make a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service. This applies irrespective of whether a referral has been made to local authority children’s social care and/or the designated officer, or team of officers. It is an offence to fail to make a referral without good reason.

How do we match our safeguarding policy with Food Safety Regulations?  

Food safety regulations set the legal obligations. It is up to organisations to ensure that food is prepared and served in a safe and hygienic manner.This is to ensure that food is not harmful to the health of customers.

Food safety links closely to health and safety and we recommend that you include information in relation to this in your Health and Safety policy.

You can reference your Health and Safety policy in the section in your safeguarding policy relating to how you’re working safely. 

The legislation is different depending on which area of the UK your organisation operates:  

• The Food Hygiene Regulations (Northern Ireland) - 2006
• The Food Safety (Sampling and Qualifications) (Wales) Regulations – 2013
• The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations - 2013
• The Food (Scotland) Act – 2015 

Please see below for additional guidance:

Health and safety basics for your business (hse.gov.uk)

Providing food at community and charity events | Food Standards Agency

Should we use qualified drivers for transporting children? What is the minimum age for drivers?

For some activities your organisation runs, you may need to provide transport to and from a venue, either for a one-off event or as part of your regular activities.

All drivers should have a full driving licence and meet the requirements for the vehicle they are driving e.g., minimum age restrictions and additional training for larger vehicles such as minibuses.

While there is no law forbidding young or inexperienced drivers from transporting people, some organisations choose to use legislation relating to minibuses as a guide and require any driver to be aged 21 or over and have held a driving license for at least two years.

As a precaution, you may want to consider asking drivers to sign a document to confirm they are fit to drive (not to have drunk alcohol within the last 12 hours or taken any illegal substance).

The vehicle should be road worthy and the driver should have the necessary insurance.

What are some other considerations that we should have for transporting children?  

• Your organisation should have written rules about how transportation is provided and who in your organisation is authorised to provide it.
• Where an outside agency is used for transport, you should have an agreed list of approved providers that you use for this purpose.
• As with every activity, a risk assessment should be completed, especially if the journey is a one-off or as part of an organised trip or activity that happens away from your main site.
• Appropriate permits should be obtained where needed and you should ensure that any transport you are providing is covered by your insurance.
• If the transportation arrangement is frequent and regular, drivers will need to be safely recruited and have a relevant criminal record check.
• Your organisation should agree in advance the number of adults (please see ratio question for guidance on this) that should accompany a driver (this will vary depending on the type and size of the vehicle, the number of people you are transporting, and whether you are transporting children or adults) and where any children and adults may sit in the vehicle e.g. front or back of a car, no children sitting in the front of a minibus, accompanying adults distributed throughout a minibus. This should be listed in your safeguarding policy.
• Logbooks, travel records, and passenger lists should be completed for each journey where relevant.
• Parental agreement should be obtained prior to any journey, pick up and drop off times should be arranged in advance and seatbelts and car seats or booster seats should be used.
• Where possible, individuals shouldn’t transport one child. If this is necessary, the child should be seated in the back; the adult should inform an appropriate member of the organisation that they are transporting a child, where from, where to and when.
  

-        Transportation (thirtyoneeight.org)

-        transportation-checklist.docx

Is it a legal requirement for a church to have a child protection policy?

The term that is currently used is a Safeguarding Policy rather than a child protection policy as it should cover all vulnerable age groups in the policy not just children.

We suggest that you have a Safeguarding Policy that covers both children and adults rather than having a separate child policy or adult policy.

Although as an organisation you may interact predominantly with children or adults, it is very possible that your organisation may interact with both groups at times, albeit in different ways or through association.

The Charity Commission has safeguarding guidance that sets out specific responsibilities for voluntary organisations. The guidance is also good practice even if your organisation is not a charity as these are the expected safeguarding standards.

We have a safeguarding policy template, available to members, which has the latest guidance and legislation.

There are policy guidance notes to support the adaption of your policy. We also offer a policy checking service, for a cost, to ensure that your policy meets the legal requirements.

In Wales, the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 doesn't explicitly say that faith and community orgs. must have one, but all groups from Group A of the training framework are required to know what's in it. So, it's certainly implied.

Also, Charity Commission for England and Wales require it.

For Scotland: Supporting documents - National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 - updated 2023 - gov.scot says:

The best protection is prevention. For faith communities and organisations, clear, written and well-shared child protection and vulnerable adult policies and procedures are a first step to creating awareness and safety within the organisation/community.

Volunteers, employees and those in positions of authority and pastoral responsibility need support in how they can recognise abuse; how they should respond to allegations or concerns about abuse; how they should record concerns and make appropriate referrals; and what behaviour towards children is acceptable and unacceptable within their role

In Northern Ireland it'd fall under Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People in Northern Ireland which applies to faith and community groups. You can search for this in general, but the guide is more helpful: 

Safeguarding and protecting people for charities and trustees - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Keeping-Children-Safe-Our-Duty-to-Care.pdf

Policy reviews | Thirtyone:eight

What will happen once I refer a concern to the Local Authority’s Children’s Social Services? 

Once you have referred to the Local Authority’s Children’s Services, it will be their responsibility to assess the risk to a child and family and to consider next steps for supporting them appropriately. 

Please see below for further guidance:

England:

Working together to safeguard children - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Child protection system for England | NSPCC Learning

Wales:

Working_Together_to_Safeguard_People-_Volume_2_____Child_Practice_Reviews.pdf (socialcare.wales)

Child protection system for Wales | NSPCC Learning

Scotland:

Part 3: Identifying and Responding to Concerns about Children - National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland 2021 - updated 2023 - gov.scot

Child protection system for Scotland | NSPCC Learning

Northern Ireland:

Understanding the Needs of Children in Northern Ireland (UNOCINI) (proceduresonline.com)

Child protection system for Northern Ireland | NSPCC Learning

Can we register our safeguarding policy with you?

We no longer require members organisation to log their policy documents with us. It is up to your organisation to own these documents and to ensure that actions are appropriately implemented on the ground. 

Can you check over our policy and provide detailed comments?

We review policies for members and those who are not members of Thirtyone:eight.

We are unable to share our template and guidance notes with those who are not currently members.

For our members, if the policy is based on our current model policy, all the essential areas will be covered. If you are unsure about any point, then you can always contact our helpline via email. If you would still like us to check your policy, please send an electronic version (in Word format) to [email protected]  

We will acknowledge safe receipt and check your policy within 1 calendar month. The charge for this service is £ 100 +5%vat for members and £115 +5% vat for non-members.  

If you are not currently a member joining us will allow you to gain further information on the preparation and submission of a safeguarding policy. This will give you access to our model safeguarding policy and guidance notes.

As part of the Consultancy Services we offer, we can undertake a bespoke policy development and review.

Can we publish any Thirtyone:eight policy on our website?

Thirtyone:eight recommend making your safeguarding policy accessible. It can be published on your organisation’s website if there is a reference that it has been created using the Thirtyone:eight template.

An example statement:

‘This document is based on a Model Safeguarding Policy supplied by Thirtyone:eight. This Policy must not be copied by other churches/organisations without the written agreement of Thirtyone:eight.’

Should we refer concerns to Social Services or continue referring to you?

If you have concern that a child or adult is in immediate danger, or at risk of significant harm, you should call either the police, or social care.

Thirtyone:eight offer safeguarding advice through our safeguarding helpline on 0303 003 1111 option 2.

Our organisation employs a range of safeguarding professionals, with appropriate experience, to advise you on whether your concerns need to be reported to statutory services.

However, you do not need to report concerns to us as we only offer advice and are not a service to report to. All advice provided can be confirmed in writing. 

How long should I keep safeguarding records?

The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s implementation of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This applies to all organisations including churches and faith settings.

Each organisation needs to consider its own responsibilities regarding this important change, including security information, retentions, destruction and consent. 

Data retention should be reviewed in line with the annual review of the Safeguarding policy. The data that is held should regularly be reviewed then a decision should be made whether to erase or anonymise the data, when it’s no longer needed.

Due to the sensitive nature of safeguarding data and its potential to be used in any future investigations, different rules apply regarding data retention and the length of time this data should be stored for.

Good practice around record retention of safeguarding records would be to keep them for a minimum of 75 years or in some cases permanently.

Data around allegations that are assessed to have been unfounded should be removed from a person’s records. However, for all other allegations, it is important that a summary of the allegation, details of how the allegation was followed up and resolved; and a note of any action taken; the decisions that were reached is kept on the confidential personnel file of the accused and a copy provided to the person concerned.

As a Safeguarding specialist, we cannot provide specific detailed advice on Data Protection and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation).

Please see below some additional resources: 

Data protection: The Data Protection Act - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)

Data protection (thirtyoneeight.org)

Child protection records retention and storage guidance | NSPCC Learning

What is a safeguarding concern?

Safeguarding concerns refer to situations where a person—especially a child, young person, or vulnerable adult—may be at risk of harm, abuse, or neglect. Any adult can be vulnerable due to the harm being practiced, their personal circumstances, or due to situational factors eg. spiritual abuse, domestic abuse, discriminatory abuse.

These concerns trigger protective actions to ensure their safety and well-being.

Here are common types of safeguarding concerns:

• Physical abuse: Hitting, shaking, burning, or causing physical harm.
• Emotional abuse: Threats, humiliation, intimidation, or constant criticism.
• Sexual abuse: Inappropriate touching, exploitation, or exposure to sexual content.
• Neglect: Failing to provide basic needs like food, shelter, medical care, or supervision
• Domestic abuse: Witnessing or experiencing violence in the home.
• Online abuse: Cyberbullying, grooming, or exposure to harmful content.
• Financial abuse: Theft, fraud, or misuse of someone’s money or possessions.
• Discriminatory abuse: Harassment or unfair treatment based on race, gender, disability, etc.
• Self-neglect: When someone fails to care for themselves, putting their health or safety at risk.
• Institutional abuse: Poor care practices in settings like hospitals or care homes.
• Spiritual abuse: A  type of psychological abuse that happens in religious settings. It often includes using power — sometimes in the name of God or religion — to control, confuse, or pressure someone.  

Signs That May Raise Concern

• Unexplained injuries or frequent bruises
• Sudden changes in behaviour or mood
• Fearfulness or withdrawal
• Poor hygiene or malnutrition
• Reluctance to go home or be around certain individuals
• Inappropriate sexual knowledge or behaviour
• Missing money or possessions

What to Do If You Have a Concern

• Report it to a designated safeguarding lead, manager, or relevant authority.
• Record details accurately and objectively.
• Don’t investigate yourself—pass on the concern to professionals.

When do we refer to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) England / Child protection teams (Scotland) / Allegations Management Coordinator / Designated Officer 
(Wales) / Gateway Team (Northern Ireland)?

The following should be referred to the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO):

• behaved in a way that has harmed, or may have harmed, a child.
  allegations against a Person in a Position of Trust (PiPoT)
• might have committed a criminal offence against children or related to a child.
• behaved towards a child or children in a way that indicated they may pose a risk of harm to children

Where immediate action is needed to protect a child or investigate a serious allegation, an immediate referral will need to be made to the Police or Children’s Services, after which the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) needs to be informed. In other less urgent situations, contact the LADO first. Where appropriate, the LADO will refer to police or Children’s Services if they have not been informed. Some less serious situations may not warrant police or Children’s
Services investigation. LADOs are responsible for providing advice, liaising and monitoring the progress of cases to ensure they are dealt with as quickly as possible and are consistent with a fair and thorough process. If an allegation is substantiated then the LADO will advise whether a referral to the Disclosure and Barring Service is required or advisable, and the form and content of the referral.  

Is safeguarding only for Children and adults with additional needs or who are vulnerable?

No. Safeguarding is for everyone. Anyone can be in a situation where they are at risk or need support such as unemployment; relationship breakdown; a power imbalance; illness etc.

Legislation is clear in the groups of people that must be protected by law (See below): however, when a person’s safety is threatened or they are unable to advocate for themselves, the safeguarding policy and procedure, of an organisation, should be followed.
If the person is an adult with capacity (An "adult with capacity" refers to someone aged 18 or over who is able to understand, retain, and use information to make decisions, and can communicate those decisions effectively.) they have the right to be a part of the decision-making process for the support offered to them. They should be included in the decisions made and their decisions are to be respected, unless there is a child at risk because of their decision.

England

• Children Act 1989 & 2004: Establishes the legal framework for child protection and welfare.
• Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023): Statutory guidance outlining multi-agency responsibilities for safeguarding children.
• Keeping Children Safe in Education (2025): Mandatory guidance for schools and colleges on safeguarding duties.
• Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006: Introduced the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to vet individuals working with children and vulnerable adults.

S󠁧󠁢󠁳cotland

• Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014: Emphasizes children's rights and wellbeing, including the role of the Named Person service.
• National Guidance for Child Protection in Scotland (2021): Provides a framework for child protection procedures and multi-agency collaboration.
• Getting It Right For Every Child (GIRFEC): A national approach to improving outcomes and supporting the wellbeing of children.

W󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳ales

• Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014: Sets out duties for local authorities and partners to safeguard children and vulnerable adults.
• Children Act 1989 & 2004: Still applicable, but adapted to Welsh policy context.
• Working Together to Safeguard People (2019): Series of guidance documents covering different groups (children, adults, carers) under the Act

Northern Ireland

• Children (Northern Ireland) Order 1995: Core legislation for child protection.
• Co-operating to Safeguard Children and Young People in Northern Ireland (2017): Provides guidance for agencies working together to protect children.
• Safeguarding Board Act (Northern Ireland) 2011: Established the Safeguarding Board for Northern Ireland (SBNI) to coordinate safeguarding efforts

Online church services

When livestreaming your services:

• All people in the room should be made aware of the fact that the service will be either live streamed or posted online later.
• There should be clear signs to let people know where they can be seen on camera and where to sit if they don’t want to be on screen.
• Children’s full names shouldn’t be mentioned during the service.
• Care should be taken with looked after children / adopted children / those in witness protection / domestic abuse victims as they might not want their location / identity known.
• Parent should give written permission for their children to be seen on the live stream / recording.
• An online policy should be in place and known by the members of the organisation which states how members will be safeguarded during the live stream, alongside the other online safety protocols.

You should consider the risks of having any current videos on You Tube, as well as risks for any future livestreams or recordings. 

Information in our Knowledge Hub regarding online safety should also be useful to you: Online safety, as well as our information on photos and filming: Photos and filming

Pin number advice

If you don’t have the pin number to open your email referral, send an email requesting for the pin number to be sent to you. [email protected]

If you have locked the email referral, please email the helpline for it to be unlocked.

Youth meetings in houses

The best-case scenario would be to meet somewhere neutral, if possible. If the meeting is at a home our advice is as follows:

• If the home is used for a youth meeting, there should be at least one adult present who does not live at the home and who isn’t related to those who do
• Consider appropriate DBS checks for all concerned. This includes ensuring adult household members are all DBS checked and that there are no other visitors in the home during the meeting time. You can contact our Disclosures team on 0300 033 1111 (option 1) if you have any further questions about eligibility for DBS checks
• Risk assessments (including safeguarding and health and safety – including activities like fireworks)
• Registers including start and finish times, dates
• Drop off and pick up arrangements for the under 18s
• Clear parental consent documentation,
• Consider if any other adults or children are present in the house
• Clarify what are the no-go areas and toilet arrangements
• Insurance providers should also be consulted to ensure the activity is covered as should any umbrella organisation (i.e. Diocese)

Safe as houses? What next for the future of home-based youth work

After-school clubs, community activities and tuition: safeguarding guidance for providers - GOV.UK

Young people working with the youth

Once young people turn 18 years old, they might want to serve on a team supporting the youth or children’s work.

We advise that the safer recruitment process is followed and that the appropriate role is given to them. We would suggest that they don’t work with those that are 16 or over. This is to ensure that friendships don’t blur with the young person now being in a position of trust.

It is best for those that are still a part of the youth group or are just over 18 years old, to work with children that are at least 5 years younger than themselves so that there is less confusion between friendships and the new role the young person has.

Those who are in Year 13 can still attend youth events after they turn 18 and should still be classified as a child until they have left their education setting.

All workers should sign a code of conduct that states the expectations of their behaviour with those that are younger than them.

Safer recruitment of young volunteers

Mixing youth and student groups

We would advise that it's best practice not to mix youth and young adults for groups such as a Home Group, even when considering maturity. 

Any under 18s present are still classed as children and will be at a different life stage and have different experiences to the young adults. Therefore, you would need to assess risks for such a group and detail how you will mitigate the risks. 

If you decide to go ahead with a group of mixed adults and youth, you will need to consider:

• The best-case scenario would be to meet somewhere neutral, if possible. If the meeting is at a home, with youth present, there should be at least one adult present who does not live at the home and who isn’t related to those who do
• consider appropriate DBS checks for all concerned. This includes ensuring adult household members are all DBS checked and that there are no other visitors in the home during the meeting time. Recruiters for the organisation can contact our Disclosures team on 0303 033 1111 (option 1) if you have any further questions about eligibility for DBS checks.
• risk assessment for the home (including safeguarding and health and safety – including activities like fireworks, consideration of first aid, any items in the house that could cause risk such as medicines and knives),
• registers including start and finish times, dates,
• drop off and pick up arrangements for the under 18s,
• clear parental consent documentation for those under 18s with informed consent. Our model consent form can be found here (this is a member only resource)
• also consider if any other children are present in the house, 
• clarify what are the no-go areas and toilet arrangements,
• Insurance providers should also be consulted to ensure the activity is covered as should any umbrella organisation

You would need to consider the relationships in the group as in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, it is illegal for anyone in a Position of Trust in a faith setting to engage in sexual activity with a 16- or 17-year-old under their care or supervision.

You would need to consider how to manage online communication between members of the group to ensure children's telephone numbers or emails are not shared.

You would need to consider the risks and the benefits of how communication is done for the children in this group, and you would need to gain parental consent.

You should follow your normal policies and procedures for communication with people under 18.

You may also find the information in the Knowledge Hub on online safety useful. These are members only resources:

Online safety (thirtyoneeight.org)

modelonlinesafetypolicy-1.docx (live.com)

Group activities (thirtyoneeight.org)

Risk assessments (thirtyoneeight.org)

Positions of trust

Can someone aged 18 stay in youth?

Some children in the final school year at school will turn 18 years of age before their peers. We advise that it is okay for them to remain in the youth group with their peers.

Once they have become an adult, left and started work or gone to university, their life experiences will have changed so it would be good for them to meet with other adults or have a group for young adults.

It would be important for those 18-year-olds remaining in the youth group to understand that as an adult they would have more responsibility.
It would be important that, although an adult, they abide by the guidelines for the group.

Consideration should be given to online communication and giving lifts. We would not recommend an 18-year-old to give lifts to those that are younger as a part of the group.

If the young people are attending a residential then it would be possible for the 17- and 18-year-olds to share accommodation with the knowledge and agreement of parents. Again, they would need to follow the guidelines for their attendance.

If you choose to use young people to help as a young leader, we advise that there is a significant gap in age between them and that group.

Youth Drop in

We would advise that the "drop in" venue is risk assessed and that your team has been safely recruited.

The team should know how to contact the Safeguarding Lead and have an awareness of safeguarding themselves so that they know the signs and indicators and who to go to with any concerns.

Your team will need the appropriate level of DBS check: Eligibility Guide (thirtyoneeight.org)

You would also need to try and obtain parental consent for any young people under 18 who are attending the drop in on a regular basis (however, this may be difficult if it was a one off)

Keeping a register of who attends would be important.

You would need to make sure your Safeguarding Policy covers this area of your work and that you consult with your insurance company.

Do volunteers need to do the safeguarding training if they have already done safeguarding training for their job- for example as a teacher?

We are unable to comment specifically on whether previous training is appropriate for their role.  However, there should be consideration of what is unique to the faith and voluntary sector which might fall outside of their training. 

If your policy specifically stipulates what training is required to sufficiently equip your volunteers for the role, you should follow what is included in your policy.

One off event such as light party/grotto

You will need to ensure you have followed the safer recruitment process for any volunteers at this event. 

Part of safer recruitment would include a criminal record check if eligible. Eligibility Guide (thirtyoneeight.org)
 
There should be no unsupervised contact of a child with any adult helper who is not DBS checked, and they should not be counted as part of the ratios for supervision.
 
All volunteers should also be aware of the safeguarding policies and procedures, had safeguarding training, and know-how and who to report any safeguarding concerns to. 
 
It is important to be clear who is responsible for any children at the event; for example, you may decide they are to remain under the supervision of their parents and carers.

If parents are staying for the event, you would need to ensure they are only interacting and responsible for their own child unless they have been safely recruited to volunteer at the event. Any risks from this, and how you will mitigate them should also be included in the risk assessment. Further information about risk assessments can be found here: Risk assessments (thirtyoneeight.org)

Additional advice about Santa’s grotto 

It’s important to remember that a DBS or AccessNI check is just one part of working safely with children, and other safeguarding measures must always be in place:

• It would be reasonable (and widespread practice) to say that Father Christmas should never be left alone to supervise children. If it was a grotto, normally the parents would accompany their children, and they would remain the responsibility of their parents.
• For both safeguarding and health and safety reasons, it would be appropriate to have another adult present - this would ideally be an approved children’s worker, such as someone dressed as an elf, as well as having other children’s workers around.
• It is also advisable to ensure that children will be sitting on a chair next to Father Christmas, rather than on his lap.

It would be possible to submit a basic disclosure if the role is not eligible for an Enhanced check. 

Events where parents are present - toddler groups / messy church 

For parents attending with their younger children who are not part of the children's group, you would need to consider the following:

• assess any risks that there may be due to the presence of younger children and their parents in the group as it could be a potential area of risk if it is not considered and managed safely.
• you should complete a risk assessment that details how you will mitigate risk. 
• you would need to consider how you will ensure that the parents are only interacting with their own children
• as the parents have not been through the safer recruitment process, there should be no unsupervised contact of a child with any adult helper who is not DBS checked, and they should not be counted as part of the ratios for supervision
• it would be important to make the parents that attend the group with the younger child aware that their children are their responsibility during the time they are at the group
• making those attending aware of your safeguarding procedures, and who to speak to if they have any concerns during their time with the group.